The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports of a disagreement between its governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, insisting that both sides remain committed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the reported disagreement as a ‘false battle’.

He maintained that there was no genuine conflict between the minister and members of the Progressives Governors Forum.

Morka clarified this on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s News Day, following Wike’s inclusion in the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

According to him, the governors and the FCT Minister share a common political objective of ensuring Tinubu’s victory in the next presidential election.

“It was a false battle to begin with. I mean, I don’t think there was any real tension between those positions because they united in their extraordinary commitment to the re-election of the president,” Morka said.

He noted that the Progressive Governors Forum comprised governors elected on the APC platform, while Wike, a former Rivers State governor, was a member of Tinubu’s cabinet and a vocal supporter of the President.

According to him, publication of the presidential campaign council list had also clarified the roles of those involved in Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

He said: “Governors, who are not of the APC, now [are] front and centre, coordinating some of our activities in their respective jurisdictions.”

Morka described the development as a new phase in Nigeria’s democratic politics, arguing that the President was bringing politicians from different parties together around a common objective.

The APC spokesperson claimed that the collaboration was unusual in a presidential system, stressing that Tinubu was transcending party differences by building a coalition of political actors to support his administration and re-election campaign.

He said: “We’re seeing a president who is transcending all of the divides and really nullifying what I call the politics of difference between these partisans and bringing them together under the same umbrella to pursue a common agenda for the good of the people.”

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has appointed Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his new Chief of Staff, following the resignation of Segun Ogunwuyi.

Makinde also appointed Mrs Aderonke Adedayo, his Special Adviser on General Intervention and Donor Agencies, as Director-General of the Due Process Office.

The appointments were announced in letters signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde, on Monday.

Akinwole, a grassroots politician, previously served as Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission.

Adedayo will combine her new responsibilities as Director-General of the Due Process Office with her existing role as Special Adviser on General Intervention and Donor Agencies.

Both appointments take immediate effect.

The governor congratulated the appointees and urged them to discharge their duties with loyalty, commitment and dedication to the service of Oyo State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to release the final list of candidates contesting the February 6, 2027.

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, with eight states excluded from the governorship poll.

According to The Nation, the commission is scheduled to publish the final list on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

There are 8 affected states where governorship elections will not hold as part of the February 2027 electoral exercise because they operate on separate election schedules.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed during a world press conference and stakeholders’ meeting that 21 of Nigeria’s 22 registered political parties nominated 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 28 states scheduled to elect governors in 2027.

The parties also nominated 9,692 candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections.

Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires INEC to publish the names and addresses of nominated candidates at least 60 days before an election.

The law also provides a procedure for political parties to notify the commission if a candidate’s name is missing from the published list.

Under Section 32(2), such notification must be submitted in writing, signed by the party’s national chairman and secretary, and supported by an affidavit within 14 days of publication.

Although governorship elections will not take place in the eight excluded states during the February 2027 exercise, State House of Assembly elections are scheduled across all 36 states.

The commission’s final list is expected to provide further details of the candidates and political parties participating in the elections.

INEC had earlier set September 19, 2026, as the deadline for substituting candidates and September 26, 2026, as the final date for submitting nomination forms.

The publication of the final list will be an important step in preparations for the 2027 elections, as political parties and candidates move towards the next phase of campaigning.